What's your best tip for saving money on pet food?

Discussion in Pets started by True2marie • Dec 9, 2013.

  1. True2marie

    True2marieActive Member

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    Pet food is a expensive. Let's face facts. For this reason, owning a dog or cat can get pricey. What's your best tip for saving money on pet food? For me, it's combining a coupon with a two-for-one sale on pet food.
     
  2. sidney

    sidneyWell-Known Member

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    Would it count if I say that your pet can happily and healthily live even if you just fed him table food? That's what I've always fed my cats. Pet foods are dangerous. It made my cat ill, so I now stay away from it.
     
    #2Dec 9, 2013
    Last edited: Dec 9, 2013
  3. MyDigitalpoint

    MyDigitalpointActive Member

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    I save a lot of money in pet food by not having any pet, which also saves me from may any other hassle with them.

    However for those who love pets and have one, it's easy save money by cooking their food rather than buying commercial products.

    Do an online research and you will find countless sites offering recipes for dogs and cats mainly that can be prepared at home with ease and at a very low cost.
     
  4. wwalford

    wwalfordNew Member

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    Ok well for me , the answer to this is don't!. Your dog deserves proper food and don't cheap out, your dog wll get sick. For me I buy reasonably expensive (not the most expensive) and then to make it last I add rice with it. But don't go buy the cheapest dog food you can buy around.
     
  5. Bloomatic

    BloomaticActive Member

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    The big brands and supermarkets are well aware that most of us value our pets as part of our family, and we care about pleasing them in their food. You should check and care for amounts of food you serve. Most dog food packaging tell you how much you should feed in relation to its weight. Puppies should eat 3 times a day, and from 16 weeks of age, can be reduced to only 2 times per day. Take advantage in promotions and discounts. Compare prices at different stores to find the best deal. Generally, you'll get the best prices by buying in bulk or wholesale. Dogs have different nutritional needs than people. They need more high-quality protein, more calcium and minerals and for that reason we must assure a balanced diet. :D
     
  6. dickybird

    dickybirdNew Member

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    I agree with the first comment. I make my own dog food. I buy a big bag f rice, and mix it with stock and meat. If we have leftovers that gets mixed into his food as well. My dog has grown up on 'human' food, and when we have bought dog food in the best he will just leave it, until it is flavoured with something. I am aware dog biscuits are good for your dogs teeth so we also give him bones to chew on.
     
  7. brutal37138

    brutal37138Member

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    We use table scraps as well. We've learned what she can tolerate and what she can't, but generally left over bread and biscuits is what she gets the most of. We supplement that with her food, of which we buy what we can afford. Sometimes that means getting better quality, sometimes that means getting lower quality. She's hit the jackpot a few times. We tried lamb once and didn't eat much of it, so she ended up getting all of the leftovers and the same happened with a duck we baked once.
     
  8. Ruth

    RuthMember

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    Well, for one, I don't really buy commercial dog food that often. I like to make my own dog food as well. As

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    , it's one of the main ingredients in the dishes I prepare for my dog. However, it's also contains quite a lot of meat. My dog simply isn't interested in a food if it doesn't contain meat.

    For all of you who like to feed table-scraps to your dogs, I'd like to remind that some human foods are not okay for dogs to eat. For an example, onions, garlic, chocolate, grapes and raisins are poisonous to dogs.
     
  9. kindredsoul

    kindredsoulNew Member

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    Yes, there are a lot of sites that have recipes. When I am really low on money, I make rice with chicken broth and then I add bits and pieces of hot dogs. I also give them bread. They seem to like the round ones better than the square pieces. Sometimes, I give them ice cubes to chew on. Another thing I give them is Top Ramon soup. They tend to like soup luke-warm.
     
  10. starfox64

    starfox64Active Member

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    Honestly, I just buy the cheapest dog food that I can find. It's usually the Old Yeller dog food that is like 20 bucks for a 50 pound bag. My dogs really seem to like it and I do hook them up with the occasional dog bone to chew on along with some scraps here and there to mix up their diet. They are really healthy, too, so I really don't see a reason to buy the expensive stuff.
     
  11. JuLovo

    JuLovoNew Member

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    Leftover scraps of homemade food. Done that for all three of my dogs' lives and they're still healthy at 15, 13, and 13 years old. I don't JUST feed them human food, but treat it as either an extra meal or a special treat. Rice, softened with soup, and some meat with hints of green in their plates -- they're all toy breeds, which is why I give them small portions. Make sure they eat it with their dog food and they remember that their dog food isn't so bad and we save money by having something to still feed them in case their food does run out.
    A few times a month, I'd feed one of my dogs a tiny piece of banana, only because she's the only one willing to eat it.

    My uncle seems to only feed his dog rice with full pieces of veggies placed on top (he has a medium-sized dog). That's all I ever see in his dog's food bowl and his dog looks healthy as ever, being only two or so years old. Just do enough research to understand what food is safe for dogs to consume and what isn't and you could save money by giving some of your food. If you're willing to go the extra mile, grow a vegetable garden and you already have half the ingredients for your dog's next meal. You don't have to, especially if you don't have time for it. But if you wanted to really save money, that is an alternative. Plus, you could be outside watering your garden while you're also walking the dog in the back. Exercise and free meal. :p
     
  12. isabbbela

    isabbbelaWell-Known Member

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    To me, it's buying in large quantities. A big package is cheaper per pound than a small one. Also, I'm subscribed to several dog product websites, and they are always having specific sales. When the dog food my dog eats is on sale in one of them I'll usually buy it so that I save some money. Those are good alternatives if you're spending too much. It's better to try and buy the good quality stuff in larger quantities than give your dog lower quality food!
     
  13. angelicagapit

    angelicagapitActive Member

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    The best tip when saving money on pet food is probably to just buy bulk. I buy a large bag of dog food that is healthy and it provides all the nutrients my dog needs. On another plus side, he loves it! He enjoys eating his dog food, so I constantly buy the same bag.

    Buying bulk helps you save up because the more you buy, the lesser the price each product gets.
     
  14. astockd1

    astockd1Member

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    I downloaded this app called SnipSnap today on my iPhone, and it has quite a few coupons to stores and restaurants. There were multiple for deals like 10% off at Petco and $5 off at Petsmart. It also had some free samples of dog treats and cat food. I also find that joining the rewards club at multiple pet stores, and then seeing which one has sales that will save you the most money at the time you need to buy pet supplies, is a good way to go.